Back-to-back-to-back jacks

by Rob Smaal (Apr 4, 2008)

Now this is what Yomiuri brass had in mind when they shelled out
nearly 2 billion yen in free-agent contracts over the winter.

After starting off the 2008 season with a franchise
record-worst five straight losses, the Giants broke out the big sticks
Thursday at Tokyo Dome, getting three straight round-trippers in a
five-run seventh inning to clip the Chunichi Dragons 6-5.

With the Giants down 5-1 and staring an 0-6 record in the
face, Yoshinobu Takahashi started off the homer barrage with two out in
the bottom of the seventh inning. Takahashi smacked an opposite-field
home run to left with two men aboard off Dragons ace Kenshin Kawakami.

While the victory-starved Giants fans were still celebrating
that feat, Toshiyuki Kamei sent them into raptures all over again with
a solo shot to right to tie it and Michihiro Ogasawara then delivered
the go-head run with a homer to right, his second of the night off
Kawakami.

That was the end of Kawakami's night. The Dragons' righty
ended up going 6 2/3 innings, allowing 10 hits--including four HRs--and
six runs. He struck out eight and didn't walk a batter.

"We've had a tough week," Takahashi said. "It feels great to get that first win and get all that pressure off our backs."

Reliever Kentaro Nishimura got the win for Yomiuri, tossing two hitless innings while striking out three batters.

Closer Marc Kroon got his first save in a Giants' uniform,
working a 1-2-3 ninth inning, striking out Hirokazu Ibata to end it. On
Wednesday, Kroon, who holds the NPB speed record of 161 kph, hit 159 on
the radar gun to set a Yomiuri club record.

Chunichi's free-agent acquisition Kazuhiro Wada slammed a
three-run homer off Giants starter Norihito Kaneto in the fifth inning
to make it 5-1 and things looked bleak for the defending CL champions
at that point, with Kawakami cruising along.

Earlier, the Dragons opened the scoring in the second inning
when a sacrifice fly to center by Masahiko Morino scored Wada, who had
led off the inning with a double and moved to third on a Norihiro
Nakamura single.

The following inning Chunichi doubled its lead when Lee Byung
Kyu lined a double to left-center to score the fleet-footed Masahiro
Araki from second.

The Giants got one back when Ogasawara deposited Kawakami's
first pitch of the fourth inning into the second deck in right field
with a towering home run to make it 2-1.

"Our fans cheered for us even when we were down by four runs
tonight," said Ogasawara. "I just knew we couldn't let them down."

Giants manager Tatsunori Hara made a couple of changes to his
lineup card Thursday, starting left-handed hitting Ryota Wakiya at
second in place of switch-hitter Takuya Kimura and inserting another
left-handed hitter, Kamei, in center field in place of Yoshitomo Tani,
who bats right-handed.

Wakiya made some nice defensive plays but he also struck out three times.

The Giants lost three straight at Jingu Stadium to the Yakult
Swallows to open the season before dropping the first two at home to
the Dragons. Chunichi swept the Giants three straight in the 2007
Central League playoffs before going on to win their first NPB title in
53 years.

The Giants play host to the Hanshin Tigers today and through
the weekend while the Dragons play a three-game set against the
Swallows at Nagoya Dome.